In the last decade or so, the sales and popularity of electric or hybrid vehicles have continued to grow significantly due to fuel efficiency and carbon emission concerns. Such vehicles now represent a noticeable percentage of cars being sold all over the world. To power their propulsion systems, electric or hybrid vehicles carry rechargeable batteries for use over a sustained period of time. To recharge these batteries, manufacturers provide a charger for each vehicle. These chargers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and functionalities depending on the cars and car manufacturers, and are typically portable.
FIG. 1 illustrates conventional charger 100 adapted to plug into charging port 102 of an electric vehicle. As shown, charger 100 includes charge handle 101 and cord 106, which is connected to charge handle 101 at one end and to an electric plug (not shown) at the other end. Charge handle 101 includes receptacle 104 and charge terminals 105. Receptacle 104 is a casing for enclosing charge terminals 105. Charge terminals 105 are configured to plug into charging port 102 of the electric vehicle for supplying electricity to the electric vehicle.
FIG. 2 illustrates conventional cap 230 for covering charge terminals 205, which correspond to charge terminals 105 of FIG. 1. Cap 230 has a cylindrical shell that receives, encloses and covers charge terminals 205 located in receptacle 204 of charge handle 201 to safeguard charge terminals 205 against dirt, liquids, and damage.